Staffordshire Police to lose £1.5 million as funding cut
Staffordshire Police is set to lose £1.5 million in Government funding, meaning council tax will have to be raised to safeguard frontline jobs.
The force's main Whitehall grants are being slashed by 1.4 per cent for 2017/18 – more the double the figure anticipated.
As a result Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Matthew Ellis has recommended its proportion of the council tax be increased by 1.99 per cent.
It would see the police portion for a Band D property rise to £181.14 from £177.61.
Mr Ellis has assured there will be no cuts to neighbourhood policing or PCSOs in the county.
In fact the budget has allocated funding to recruit 80 officers although that will be to replace those retiring.
While staff are also in line for a one per cent pay rise.
Mr Ellis said cuts to officers had been prevented by using the workforce more effectively.
The PCC's report said: "Staffordshire Police has in the past had a large number of officers in non-frontline roles, which do not require police powers, skills and experience.
"There are now a significant range of examples where officers have moved to the frontline and where the role undertaken has been replaced with a police staff member at approximately two thirds of the cost. This efficient approach has had no adverse impact on frontline policing and helped to ensure that the frontline has been protected from the need to deliver major budget savings."
It adds: "The budget includes the recruitment of 80 officers during the year to replace retiring officers and maintain the operating model.
"The numbers of local and neighbourhood officers and PCSOs will remain the same as 2016/17, with no reduction in this frontline resource."
Overall the force's total budget for 2017/18 will be £181.7m.
It is more than the £180m it had at its disposal for the current year with the extra finances coming from the rise in council tax as well an extra £1.5m which will be removed from the reserves which has been set aside for 'transformation'.
Mr Ellis also stated 'specific funding' will be allocated for counter-terrorism in the next few years although no figures have been set yet.
The report added: "Specific funding will continue to be allocated for counter-terrorism policing over the course of the Spending Review period ensuring the police have the capabilities to deal with terrorist threats.
"The provisional settlement did not set out the detailed funding allocation for counter terrorism."
Yesterday the Express & Star revealed crime had gone up in Staffordshire.
According to data from the Office of National Statistics there were 73,208 offences in the 12 months leading up to September 2016.
That represented a 14 per cent increase on the 64,218 in the previous period.
The figures revealed that increases in violence and sexual offences contributed significantly to the overall rise in crime.
Sexual offences jumped by 29 per cent to 2,698 in the latest 12 months while violent crimes against people increased by 28 per cent to 25,007.
Meanwhile public order offences spiked by 48 per cent to 2,992.
Successes for the force have seen drug offences and burglaries decline.
M r Ellis said the latest Home Office figures provided the most accurate reflection of crime across Staffordshire to date.
